Transmission servicing question.

[powayroger]

Always ongoing and different opinions too.

Drop the pan, change the filter (Another question, do all vehicles have transmission filters?) and fluid, leaving some old fluid, or do the flush method to get all the fluid out, and replaced with new fluid, BUT old filter remains. Dropping the pan is more expensive than the flush.

Most manufacturers frown on the flush, but if you go to a dealership, they prefer the flush. Strange.

I guess if you had enough money or time, you would flush first, then drop the pan and replace the filter.

So if you want your transmission to last and last, which method is the best one to follow and why? I would think replacing the filter should be done each time, much like changing your engine oil. You wouldn’t replace the oil and keep the old filter on.

Also, as I asked earlier, do all vehicles have transmission filters that can be changed?

BTW, I normally change my transmission fluid at the 30,000-mile mark.

 

[sicko]

Does the transmission pan have a drain bolt? I prefer a drain and fill over a flush.

 

[Lyman]

I have done it both ways. On my old Explorer with an unserviced trans at 80k I did a flush and at the same time a pan drop and filter.
On my current Jeep with records of filter changes every 30k I just continue to do them. My fluid looks like new with 150k miles on the odo with pan drops and filters every 30k.

 

[Lapham3]

On a used vehicle new to me I'll drop the pan and do the filter. What I find in both gives me a baseline and I'll likely go forward with just fluid changes as you do. Quite a number of transmissions either have a large capacity lifetime filter or a screen type, so just fluid R+R on those anyway.

 

[mrgrim]

Mine has a screen filter, so I just do drain and fills every some-odd interval.

 

[exranger06]

Originally Posted By: powayroger
Also, as I asked earlier, do all vehicles have transmission filters that can be changed?

No. Most automatic transmissions have them, but some do not. My Accord does not have a filter. It technically does have some kind of screen/filter inside, but it's not meant to be replaced unless you're rebuilding the transmission. In order to even get to the filter, you'd have to completely remove the transmission from the car and disassemble the transmission.